Sam Merrill DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Cleveland Cavaliers guard/forward Sam Merrill (illness) is active against the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday. He has been upgraded from questionable to available. Merrill faced the possibility of missing a second straight game. With Caris LeVert (wrist) and Isaac Okoro (shoulder) out, Merrill will be a valuable option off the bench. However, his performances generally aren't good enough to help fantasy managers. Cleveland also has Darius Garland (rest) back in action on Thursday, which likely pushes Jaylon Tyson out of the rotation.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (illness) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Hawks after missing Wednesday's win in Miami. With Caris LeVert (wrist) sidelined, Merrill has been getting more work off the bench, but he has only scored double-digit points once in his last 10 games while averaging 5.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 15.9 minutes per game. If he's out again on Thursday, there will be more work available for Georges Niang and Max Strus on the wing for the Cavaliers.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (ankle) could be in line for a larger workload with Donovan Mitchell (rest) out against the Raptors on Thursday, but the 28-year-old from Utah State will have to overcome his own questionable tag. Merrill has missed the last three games for Cleveland but could be able to return for the second half of his team's home back-to-back Thursday night. Merrill had 20 points in a spot start against the Jazz just before Christmas, so he does have potential upside. However, on the season, he has only averaged 7.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.8 three-pointers while playing 19.2 minutes per game.